Story & Photos by ACACIA RODRIGUEZ

Beyond securing job protections and negotiating contracts, DC 37 invests in its members by building pathways to better careers with higher earning potential.

That’s why workers in the NYC Parks Department are encouraged to apply for the Parks Gardener and Climber & Pruner training programs. Subject matter experts from Local 1505 NYC Attendants, Park Service Workers, City Park Workers & Debris Removers, and Local 1507 NYC Parks Gardeners helped develop the apprenticeship programs in conjunction with NYC Parks Workforce Development to address difficult-to-fill titles.

Local 1505 President Dilcy Benn is delighted that her members have the opportunity to grow their careers and become qualified candidates for positions struggling against attrition.

“I care about my members and want to change their lives for the better,” Benn said. “They wouldn’t make this amount of money in my Local, so with this program, they can make more and learn more.”

The 12-month Parks Gardener Training Program is open to all active, full-time Parks employees who want to expand their skills and knowledge of horticulture, botany, and gardening. Each person receives instruction from former gardeners, takes classes at the New York Botanical Garden, gains necessary certifications, and is more prepared to pass the Civil Service and Commercial Drivers’ License exams.

Local 1508 Uniformed Park Supervisor Tonia Robinson is one of the gardener program’s trainers. She began in the Parks Department as a City Seasonal Aide, then advanced to become a Gardener, and finally, a Park Supervisor.

“It’s hard to fill these positions because the training is expensive and difficult to access for most Parks workers,” she said. “There’s college courses and classes at the New York Botanical Garden, but it gets pretty pricey.”

Local 1505 member Lynn Barber previously worked out of City Hall as a City Park Worker (CPW) before starting the apprenticeship.

At 10 months in, she’s received OSHA training, learned how to prune trees, received flagger certification, and can safely use the equipment. She urges interested members to join, whether or not they have a green thumb.

“If it wasn’t for this program, I wouldn’t know any of this,” she said. “The program gives you all the qualifications, so basically when you get out, you know the Latin names (for plants), the techniques, all the tools, plus the teachers are awesome.”

Local 1507 President Maxine Folson can’t wait for the new crop of gardeners to hit the parks officially.

“When I look at the trainees, I see gardeners,” she said. “I look at people who know what they’re doing, enjoy what they’re doing, and have done some real hard grunt work for them to be still standing and be excited about the program. I am truly pleased.”

Participants in the Climber & Pruner Training Program, now in its second cohort, ascend a different path. Beginning with a 15-month program open to all full-time, year-round Parks employees, participants must demonstrate climbing, rigging, and knot techniques during a physical exam after the written Civil Service Exam.

Malik Brown, a CPW in the 10th month of the program, stressed the importance of learning all roles a climber and pruner performs at the worksite, including ground work, flagging to control pedestrian traffic, and working with a chainsaw at 50+ feet using an aerial lift truck.

“Every role on the team has to be interchangeable,” Brown said. “At any given time, we have to be able to pick up where another worker left off so learning these systems is essential.”

CPW Timothy Caparosa believes job satisfaction is the fruit of his labor.

“It’s a very rewarding and exciting job, might be the best job I’ve ever had, but it’s very tough,” he said.

CPW Lizbeth Isabel Alvarez is one of the few women in the current cohort. She encourages more women to join the next generation of climbers and pruners.

“I saw that there was only one woman in the previous group,” she said. “She was my inspiration. She showed me that it can be done, and so the thought that only men can do this job was completely obliterated.”

Learn more or apply for the Parks Gardener Training Program: https://bit.ly/3K4IR7V

Learn more or apply for the Climber & Pruner Training Program: bit.ly/4lWmxKU